Graphic User Interface: Needed Design Characteristics for Successful Physician Use

The aim of this research was to isolate certain aspects of graphic user interface (GUI) design that had been well studied in populations other than physicians and to ascertain the applicability of their findings to the GUI needs and preferences of physicians. While future research is needed to further development some of the concepts touched on in this project, sufficient evidence has been gathered to indicate that physicians would prefer GUI designs different than those generally supported by medical software applications. Incorporation of medical symbols, as icons, preferred list formats, preferred levels of screen complexity, and other design characteristics researched in this work could facilitate PDA adoption by physicians for medical purposes.